Twenty years ago, Knepp was struggling farmland on heavy Sussex clay.
Today, it is one of the most significant (and famous!) biodiversity hotspots in the UK.
That transformation didn’t come from intensifying control. It came from relinquishing it.
By allowing natural processes to return - thorny scrub to spread, deadwood to remain, grazing animals to roam - Knepp has seen extraordinary results. Last year alone, 60 singing male nightingales were recorded on the estate, roughly 1% of the UK population.
But beyond rare species, what stands out most is abundance. A 20-year ecological survey shows a dramatic uplift across birds, insects, plants and mammals. It proves something vital: even depleted land can rebound quickly when nature is placed back in the driving seat.
What Knepp Teaches Us
Rewilding is not about neglect. It’s about restoring process.
At Knepp, that has meant:
Letting thorny scrub recolonise, resulting in a 900% increase in breeding birds in those habitats.
Leaving dead trees standing as living architecture for insects and fungi.
Introducing free-roaming cattle, ponies, pigs and deer to create a shifting mosaic of grassland, scrub and woodland.
Instead of freezing the land in time, the estate became dynamic again.
And that dynamism turned out to be rocket fuel for wildlife.
From 3,500 Acres to 30 Square Metres
It’s easy to look at Knepp and think: That’s wonderful - but it’s a large estate.
At LettsSafari, we see it differently.
Knepp is proof of principle.
If biodiversity can surge on heavy, exhausted clay in Sussex, it can surge in a garden in Manchester. On a balcony in Bristol. In a neglected corner of a park in Devon.
The principles scale down beautifully:
Allowing plants to go to seed
Letting a patch of lawn become meadow
Planting native hedging that forms thorny refuge
Leaving stems standing through winter
Reducing mowing to create structure
You don’t need 3,500 acres to create habitat. For example, at LettsSafari we’ve developed a simple, actionable guide to encouraging Nightingales (and a large number of other wildlife and insects) by the introduction of open scrub to even the smallest open space.
Small Patches, Big Network
The UK has pledged to return 30% of land to nature by 2030.
Large estates like Knepp are critical. But so are the millions of smaller spaces woven between them.
Urban gardens. Village greens. Business parks. School fields.
When connected together, these spaces form ecological stepping stones, allowing insects, birds and mammals to move through landscapes that would otherwise feel hostile.
At LettsSafari, our work focuses on empowering that distributed network of rewilding. Practical guidance. Manageable actions. Consistent care.
Because rewilding isn’t only about headline projects.
It’s about momentum.
20 Years On: A Cultural Shift
Perhaps Knepp’s greatest achievement isn’t just ecological. It’s psychological.
It has shifted the narrative from “nature is fragile and disappearing” to “nature is resilient and ready to return”.
That mindset is contagious. Twenty years ago, rewilding was fringe. Today, it is shaping national policy and public imagination. And the next twenty years will depend not just on estates and reserves - but on households, communities and businesses choosing to make room.
Knepp shows what’s possible at scale. LettsSafari exists to make that possibility practical, accessible and joyful at a human scale.
From Sussex clay to city balcony. Nature is ready. Are you?